What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 183

The acrobats performing tricks right in front of us were startled and stood at attention.

The musicians and flower carriage procession behind them also came to a sudden halt.

The actor assisting ‘Irene’ cried out in horror, ‘Guards! Call the Imperial Guard!’

It was all so sudden, and everything felt real. A gasp of dismay escaped me.

‘Maybe I succeeded in avoiding the danger of the Main God’ my ass!

“What does it say?”

“The moon of the Divine Kingdom, could it be Prince Yeser?!”

“Ah! Don’t push!”

“Madam Victoire? That phantom lady thief?”

The surrounding noise exploded.

Even those who weren’t nearby crowded around the flower carriage, making it impossible to move even an inch in any direction.

Christel and a few others were quickly lost in the crowd.

The pressure on my shoulders was starting to hurt.

Even in this chaos, I saw the Crown Prince, standing like a statue, reaching for his sword!

“Your Highness, no.”

I whispered in alarm.

The gray eyes, sharpened like well-honed blades, gleamed beneath his robe.

For someone who looked so rational, his impulsive nature was clearly hereditary.

Just like Emperor Frederick’s son!

“There are too many people to defend against. You can’t use your sword here.”

“……”

“I’m fine.”

The Imperial Family’s honor might not be, but I swallowed the rest of my words.

Think about it, Your Highness. Why do you think I’m allowed to freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace again?

I’m always near a Holy Knight, and now I’m an Ether holder [someone who can manipulate magical energy].

I’m confident in protecting myself to some extent.

I’m more worried about Eva, Herrit, and Sant, but I have to trust that Sir Johann will protect them.

“Second Sword!”

I heard Lady Elisabeth’s shout from somewhere.

Then, the strangers standing around us,

-Thwack!

-Thwack, thwack, thwack!

All at once, they changed their posture quickly with orderly footsteps.

The look in their eyes suddenly turned sharp, and their lips were tightly sealed.

They were no longer commoners leaning carelessly against each other.

In an instant, a circle formed around us.

It was like watching a scene from a play right in front of me. I opened my mouth in pure admiration.

‘The Emperor’s Second Sword’ [a secret division of the Imperial Guard].

The hidden name of the Imperial Guard led by Sir Erbe Dhiem and the Baron.

They were working undercover right next to us.

“Move! Quickly!”

“It’s the Imperial Guard! Clear the way!”

But the commotion was not over.

Whether it was due to reports from the guards watching the parade, knights from the Imperial Guard began to push through the crowd.

The commoners cried, ‘Oh, my!’ as they were pushed and shoved.

I was worried that children or the elderly might fall in the crush.

Some of the guards protecting us openly frowned. The Imperial Guard and the regular Guard didn’t get along, it seemed….

“Hey! You there! Stop!”

A knight shouted loudly towards the flower carriage. But the sound didn’t seem to reach.

The supporting actor standing next to ‘the Pope’ was lifting the cloth tied to the stake.

His face was a mixture of curiosity and fear.

“Heok!”

“Oh my god, it’s real! Victoire’s signature is on the stake!”

Ugh! I barely managed to keep my balance.

I almost got swept away with my feet dangling in the air.

As the armored guards rushed in, the Imperial Guard’s formation collapsed helplessly.

The distance between me and the Crown Prince had already widened considerably. Wow, this is scary!

“Then would it have been fake? It disappeared with a ‘poof’?”

“I can’t see well! Turn the stake around!”

The noise soared to the point where it hurt my eardrums. I reflexively frowned.

I thought about deploying a Sacred Domain to deliver a Divine Revelation and calm everyone down.

But that would be revealing my identity and location to the whole town.

It was a foolish thing to do since ‘Madam Victoire’ might still be on the scene.

Besides, the people in charge were already here….

“Damn it.”

I thought it had been peaceful for over a month.

I was a fool to be so distracted at a festival with the main characters!

“Prince Yeser, follow me!”

At that moment, cool fingers firmly grabbed my wrist.

A welcome gray-blue eye flashed into view. Christel?

“I will take you to a secluded place! Safety is the most important thing!”

She grabbed me and bravely began to push through the crowd.

Then, the wave of people who hadn’t moved an inch miraculously began to part slightly.

I wondered if adaptability was important, as she seemed to have a great knack for finding and slipping through the gaps.

Was it because she was a Holy Knight and had great strength?

“Ugh.”

The protagonist exerted tremendous force. Even in the midst of the chaos, my wrist felt slightly numb.

As we moved towards the back alleys instead of the main street, I apologized to the people around me.

‘I’m sorry, excuse me. Just passing through.’

Christel’s pace became faster and faster.

Before I knew it, the signs of the shops were more visible than the shadows of the crowd.

“Haa!”

As soon as we were completely out of the crowd, a strange groan escaped my lips.

My breathing was clear, but my body, which had been pushed and pressed, felt stiff.

I took a deep breath and looked at Christel. No, that’s what I intended to do….

“You must go further. It’s dangerous here!”

With those words, she grabbed me and led me into the alley.

I was taken aback because Christel had never exerted such physical force on me before.

The path became narrower and darker. The murmurs of the crowd also faded away.

I didn’t think the thief who left the calling card would have left the scene immediately, but did we really need to separate from the group like this?

“Calm down, Sarnese. You’re too excited. It’s better to join your friends on the street first,”

At that moment, it was as if I had ice water poured over my head, and my eyes flashed open.

I was disgusted with my own stupidity and naivety.

Tasting blood, I glared at the pink hair shaking under my nose.

I felt goosebumps down my side.

Pink.

That was the color of the Crown Prince’s hair today, not Christel’s.

[Let go of me, get lost!]

-Paaaaat!

The circle opened immediately. The alleys where rats roamed were covered in a dazzling golden light.

“Keuk!”

-Thud!

The woman who had been dragging me was thrown away at once.

Crash! She tumbled haphazardly, crashing into a pile of large, hard oak barrels.

I instinctively flinched and took a step back. Was the Divine Revelation too strong?

I didn’t mean to inflict serious injuries.

“Ugh, keuk……”

“Are you okay?”

Damn it, I felt like a complete pushover just now.

But what could I do when the words came out before I could think?

“You’re quick to notice things… Prince.”

She smiled and staggered to her feet. Fortunately, and surprisingly, she didn’t seem to be seriously injured.

Now that I listened, her tone was subtly different from Christel’s.

It was a great impersonation, but there were differences in her manner of speaking and the pitch of her voice.

I shuddered to think how far I would have been dragged if I had been even slightly more distracted.

Of course, I’m quite strong as long as I can open my mouth, but still.

How did she know my identity when she was disguised? And how did she know I was coming here today?

Is she Victoire herself?

No… I don’t need to deduce. I quickly emptied my head.

[Don’t move from here,]

-Taat!

She jumped up, stepping on the oak barrels rolling on the floor in an instant.

I was surprised and stopped speaking, looking up at her.

Unlike the real Christel, whose feet sank deeply when she jumped, she moved as lightly as a feather.

She did a somersault and grabbed a clothesline of a house, then spun around like a gymnast!

-Tat, tak! Tadat!

[Damn it!]

She used the roofs of the buildings as stepping stones, leaping away from my sight.

I gritted my teeth and stretched my right arm over the circle.

-Saaaaaa!

-Woo Woong!

Then, I aggressively spewed out Ether. A golden torrent burst from my fingertips.

My Sacred Domain grew rapidly, fiercely chasing after her.

The whole alleyway was brightly lit like daytime.

-Paaaaat!

-Tatat, tak!

The circle, reflecting the owner’s emotions, emitted a threatening glow. She staggered but didn’t slow down.

A wave of Ether surged where the woman had stepped.

It was as if human and divine powers were racing.

I thought about chasing after her, but I didn’t know the geography of this place at all.

It was better to stay here where I had a clear view, as it could be a trap.

“Jeong Yeser, are you going to keep spacing out?”

I gritted my teeth and scolded myself.

I had just watched the clown troupe performing right in front of me, what was so amazing about watching them….

Wait, clown?

A thought flashed through my mind. I felt like I was catching a clue.

-Woong!

The size of the Sacred Domain had reached its limit.

I quickly sat down and widened my eyes. Then, I placed both palms on the circle.

The Ether that surged from my heart spread into patterns along my fingerprints.

It wasn’t exactly a finishing move, but it’s not like I’ve been just playing around while recovering Ether all this time.

[Come out, Almighty Arm!]

I just blurted out whatever came to mind. I couldn’t help being embarrassed.

I had to chant something to make the Ether explode more strongly!

-Chwaaaaaat!

At the edge of the Sacred Domain, which was filled to a diameter of 200m, a dolphin-shaped mass of Ether soared up and plunged at her feet.

Even if I couldn’t attack directly, I could still catch her off guard!

“Kut!”

The woman fell from a roof and rolled around.

I was worried that she would fall and get into big trouble, but she barely managed to catch herself on the edge.

That’s when it happened.

-Whooooosh!

Along with the sound of the air crying, a white breeze began to blow in the air.

I instinctively looked up at the night sky. The neatly tied-down white hair fluttered.

The man raised his empty arms and drew back an imaginary bow.

Then, he aimed precisely at the fake Christel.

It was an extremely restrained attack posture with no unnecessary movements. His mint-colored eyes shone coldly, almost eerily.

……Huh?

“Sir Johann, you mustn’t kill her!”

-Ssaaaek!

At the same time as my urgent shout, an arrow of wind was fired.

There was no time to warn him about anything.

-Kwaaaang!

A part of the roof collapsed. In that instant, I saw the woman falling powerlessly.

I was horrified and ran towards the alley.

“Your Highness!”

“Straight, she went straight this way.”

Sir Johann called out to me, but I didn’t have the mental capacity to answer.

In the narrow back streets, the cat that met me cried, and the lovers who were meeting in secret hunched their shoulders.

I anxiously bit my lip. I knew that I was the clear victim, and she was a criminal who had attempted to kidnap me, but I didn’t feel comfortable.

There were things that didn’t change even if I had spent three seasons here.

I had lived as an ordinary Korean for over 28 years, and I didn’t have the guts to easily watch someone die before my eyes.

“It’s here.”

I was out of breath from running at full speed. I just need to make her pay a fair price for her crimes. Killing is….

“There are many guests today.”

I flinched. I stopped near the collapsed roof.

Neither the fallen woman nor any traces of blood were visible.

Instead, what was looking at me were grandmothers wearing old, thin robes.

Seeing that they had put old pumpkins and pomegranates in large baskets, it seemed like they were street vendors selling to passersby.

One of the elders sitting together took out a red apple and handed it to me.

Her dim eyes were full of clear goodwill.

“It’s a fruit as pretty as a young master. Would you like a bite?”

-Sreung!

No sooner had she finished speaking than a sword was drawn from behind me.

Again, I could easily tell who the opponent was.

He didn’t even think about coming forward and aimed the sword at the grandmother’s neck.

The poor old woman made a gasping sound.

A low, muffled voice, as if barely suppressing anger, echoed in the back of my head.

“Arrest them all and transfer them to the Imperial Capital Prison.”

“……”

I looked up at him as slowly as possible. It was to avoid provoking him.

Perhaps because he hadn’t put in enough eye drops, one of the Crown Prince’s eyes was burning fiercely with a crimson light.

“Your Highness!”

-Kooong!

Following that, the ‘real’ Christel rushed towards me with an enormous leap, holding Eva up like a princess.

The Marquis Dhiem, who had arrived by teleportation, was holding Herrit.

In the distance, Sant, Ganael, Benjamin, and David were also chasing after us with pale faces.

Beyond the block, the voice of the Baron giving orders to the Imperial Guard could be heard.

It seemed that a search and interrogation would begin immediately.

“Your Highness, you idiot!”

I was startled.

“Why do you follow just anyone? Did that beggar say he’d buy you something delicious? You pig! You fool!”

“No, that’s……”

Eva spewed out abusive language. I turned to Christel with an embarrassed smile.

She was also twitching her lips with a very upset expression.

She looked like she wanted to vent her anger on something right away.

She had followed the protagonist, trusting only in the words ‘I’ll follow you well’, but she didn’t expect it to turn out like this.